


Tension

by jadekirk



Series: The James Tales: Life and Times of a Chef [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Arguing, Biting, Crazy hybrids, F/M, It's not all sunshine and roses, M/M, Massage, Multi, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-26
Updated: 2012-04-26
Packaged: 2017-11-04 08:43:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/391936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadekirk/pseuds/jadekirk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Martha gang up on the Doctor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tension

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking maybe after season 4 (in my canon, the Doctor is still a bit oblivious at times) but before Planet of the Dead/Waters of Mars. I was also thinking that Martha and James would have their established friendship/relationship so they can get away with ganging up on the Doctor. It's set after James had saved Martha's life and the Doctor is still a bit wary about that fact. Maybe a bit jealous that he wasn't the one who saved her.

James looked into his empty coffee cup and sighed as he sat at the table in the currently unoccupied TARDIS kitchen, quite early in the morning, and wondered when he should get changed out of his dark green pyjamas. The redhead assumed it was the morning but with the TARDIS' timelessness, he couldn't be sure. James before coffee was not a pretty sight as he was bad tempered and tended to growl at anyone who spoke to him before he had downed at least two cups of the rich drink. He had wondered if he should cut down on his caffeine intake but decided against it. After all, he had got through catering college, and very early shifts at work, on the stuff so why break the habit of a lifetime? He moved his gaze to the garish design on the clean tablecloth and winced. Who the Hell had bought that? Why wasn't that nice tasteful dark blue and green checked tablecloth, that he had seen in the cupboard, on the table instead? Surely not even the Doctor would be as tasteless as to mix lime green with bright pink swirls. Especially not first thing in the morning. "If I was hungover, this would've made me feel even worse," he muttered, having sensed Martha come into the kitchen. "Have you seen this tablecloth? I'm seriously considering setting it on fire." He turned around and faced Martha. "Good morning."

 

"Morning," she answered, a little bleary-eyed. She picked up the coffee pot, sloshing the contents a little in an effort to judge whether there was sufficient in there for a full mug. She could feel James' eyes on her as she made her drink, and she turned to give him a quizzical look.

 

"What?" she mumbled, before taking a gulp of the hot liquid.

 

James used his foot to push the chair next to him towards Martha, inviting her wordlessly to sit down.

 

"Thanks." She slumped down into the chair, aware that all her muscles ached despite the long hot bath she'd had before sleeping. After a few more mouthfuls of coffee, she felt slightly more alert and she looked at James again.

 

"Anyone would think you'd never seen me before, the way you're staring," she observed, teasingly. "What am I, the Lesser Spotted Dr Jones?"

 

"No," he answered. "I was just thinking how glad I am that we made it away from those explosions in time."

 

"Yeah," she sighed. "Good job I've got a bit of wolf speed, now, or you and the Doctor would've left me behind."

 

"Never," James growled.

 

She looked up at him and gave him a half smile. "I didn't mean literally. I know you wouldn't do that, but before now you and the Doctor would easily have out-run me, and been obliged to hold back so you didn't leave me behind."

 

His expression softened. "If you didn't have the wolf speed, I'd have carried you yesterday," he told her.

 

Martha snorted a laugh into her coffee mug. "You wouldn't have got very far, skinny bloke like you. Neither you nor the Doctor could carry me any great distance."

 

"Want to bet?" James challenged, just as the Time Lord came through the door.

 

"What are we betting on?" he asked, interestedly, as he headed towards the kettle to make himself some tea.

 

"Whether you or James could carry me for any great distance," Martha answered promptly. "James was saying that if I didn't have the wolf speed, he'd have carried me yesterday so we could escape from those explosions, and I said you're both too skinny to carry me far."

 

The Doctor's expression clouded momentarily at Martha's reference to her state, a fact that wasn't lost on either of his companions. She had got the impression that the Time Lord still hadn't fully accepted what James had done to save her from the poisoned bullet with which she'd been shot when they'd been on Waywdgglbbihttgvntok. Martha wondered if they were ever going to have a proper conversation about the subject, and suspected that she would have to prod the Doctor into it, just as she'd had to prod him into a number of other conversations that he hadn't been keen to have with her.

 

"Well, there's one way to find out," the Time Lord said, turning away to grab a mug, and the makings of his tea. "We'll have a proper challenge."

 

"A challenge?" asked Martha disbelievingly, glancing over at James for his reaction.

 

"Sounds good to me," James said with a smirk. "But I do have an advantage over the Doctor."

 

"What's that then?" the Doctor asked, turning the kettle on to boil. "I'm a Time Lord." He knew that neither of them missed his reaction. Martha was too observant sometimes for her own good. With James, it was a sore spot, and while the rift it had caused between him and James had lessened, he knew that it could be torn open again at any moment.

 

"And pompous to go with it," Martha commented, earning a snicker from James.

 

"Hello, I'm a chef! Martha can't weigh any more than a large sack of potatoes... Not that I mean you're heavy, of course," he quickly added as she raised an eyebrow at him. "But I think I'll be able to carry her further." He wanted to steer the Doctor away from the subject of Martha's change, as he didn't want a repeat of the scolding he had received from the Doctor. It wasn't that he didn't feel he deserved the chewing out, he knew he did, but it was the way the Doctor had done it that hurt him. "I'm used to the lifting side of things."

 

"Good save," Martha said. "But have you had to sprint somewhere while carrying this sack of potatoes?"

 

"Hmm, not that I've seen," the Doctor said, stirring sugar into his tea and sitting down in the chair opposite James.

 

"You're not with me every hour of the day while I'm at work," James retorted. "Thank goodness."

 

"Oi!" the Doctor protested, looking at the redhead over his mug of tea.

 

"What sort of challenge are you thinking of, Doctor?" Martha asked, with a roll of her eyes.

 

"Oh, you know, the usual. See who can carry you the furthest, that sort of thing. We can do it in the TARDIS," the Doctor answered with a grin that didn't quite meet his eyes. This also didn't go unnoticed by his companions and they shared a quick look.

 

"No cheating," James said to the Doctor. "No telling the TARDIS to do a shortcut for you or else."

 

"No cheating for you either," the Doctor retorted, waving his hand.

 

"So what does the winner of this challenge get then?" James asked, waving off the Doctor's comments.

 

"I think we should let Martha decide," the Doctor answered, turning to fact the youngest member of their team. "So, Martha, what does the winner get?"

 

"Me?" began Martha.

 

"What, for the whole night?" asked James, apparently not realising that Martha was questioning the Doctor's decision that she should choose the winner's prize.

 

She looked at them both, eyes wide and a flush stealing over her face: James' expression clearly indicated that he loved the idea of spending a whole night with Martha; the Doctor's expression was harder for her to read, but she felt sure there was a flicker of interest in his eyes. She swallowed nervously, then nodded her agreement.

 

James grinned from ear to ear, while the Time Lord merely lifted one eyebrow at them both, and Martha found herself wondering if he'd only try to beat James because he was so competitive, rather than because he actually wanted to spend a whole night with her. If the Doctor won, she suspected it was likely she'd spend the night asleep while he sat in a chair watching her.

 

"When is this challenge taking place?" she asked, getting up to make some toast.

 

"I think we need a few days to prepare," the Doctor said.

 

"Scared you'll lose?" asked James, with another grin.

 

"No, I just believe in being ready." The Time Lord turned to Martha. "How are your muscles?" he asked, his tone quite solicitous.

 

"Still aching," she answered, dropping four slices of bread into the slots in the toaster. "I had a bath and everything last night."

 

"I'll give you a massage after breakfast, if you like," he offered, noting the way James seemed to bristle at the suggestion.

 

"Thanks, that'd be nice," Martha said, unaware of the redhead's reaction since her back was to him.

 

"Good." He got out some plates for the toast, then took two slices, slathered them in thick orange marmalade, and sauntered out of the kitchen with his plate in one hand and his mug in the other.

 

Martha turned to offer James one of the slices of toast and was startled to see him looking distinctly grumpy. "What's wrong?" she asked.

 

James felt stunned and wondered if his feelings were plain on his face. "Hmm? Oh, uh, not enough coffee in my system. That's all." He didn't want to admit to Martha that he was slightly jealous. He wondered why because he didn't have a problem with sleeping with either Martha or the Doctor. "So, this challenge then?" he stated with a smile, trying to divert her attention, getting up to make himself another cup of coffee. "Who do you think will win?"

 

Martha eyed him suspiciously. She knew exactly what he was trying to do and for all their protests to the contrary, the two men were almost alike and not just in looks. "I don't know," she replied finally. "Toast?"

 

"Yeah, okay," James said, taking the offered toast; he spread butter on it and bit into it with a crunch.

 

"Are you feeling okay?" Martha asked, moving over to feel James' forehead. She had to stretch to reach. "Hmm, no temperature."

 

"I'm fine... really. I just need another coffee," James answered after swallowing his mouthful of toast.

 

Martha watched him prepare his coffee and add cream to it. "I think you're part cat," she teased as he sat back down and picked up his toast.

 

"Are you implying that I play with bits of string and go mad for catnip?" James asked, watching as Martha buttered her own toast and bit into it.

 

Martha laughed, the mental image was too funny not to. "Well, you do purr if scratched behind your ears. Maybe for Halloween you should go as a cat. You could be Puss in Boots!" she declared cheekily. She laughed even harder at the redhead's expression.

 

"That's not a purr, it's a growl." James finished his toast and sipped at his coffee.

 

"If you say so, Puss," Martha said between bites. She watched as the redhead drained his cup and moved to wash up his plate and cup. "At least someone's well trained."

 

"Hmm, when you see that delightful Time Lord we travel with, can you tell him to wash up after himself, please? And can you ask him if he knows how hard it can be to track down a teaspoon sometimes?" James all but growled as he moved the soapy sponge over his plate then rinsed it. He put it on the draining board and rinsed his hands and dried them.

 

"You're not going to tell him yourself?" Martha asked, slightly hurt that the redhead seemed to be withdrawing from her.

 

"Well, I think I might go to the library," James answered. "You need to be relaxed and," he sighed, "the Doctor is a bit tense around me and it might affect your relaxing as he soothes your aches and pains..," he broke off, realising he had raised his voice a bit towards the end. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and do some yoga." He quickly swept out of the kitchen before Martha could say anything else.

 

"Typical," Martha muttered, finishing off her toast. "Why do I travel around with two stubborn men?"

 

She quickly washed up her mug and plate and put it on the draining board and went to find the Doctor.

 

She tried the Control Room first, and wasn't surprised to find the Time Lord there, sitting on the chair with his feet up on the edge of the console, his now empty plate resting in his lap.

 

He gave her a half smile when she appeared in his line of vision. "Martha Jones," he acknowledged.

 

"Hello Doctor. I wondered if you could give me that massage now, before we go anywhere and need to run?"

 

He nodded. "Yes, that's probably a good idea." He got up quickly, and led the way to Martha's bedroom, leaving his mug and plate in the Control Room.

 

"Have you got any oil?" he asked.

 

She gave a quick nod. "I've got a Rosemary one, that's the best for fatigue."

 

The Doctor held the door open for Martha, and she headed straight to her chest of drawers, on top of which was her medical kit. She unzipped the case and took out the bottle of massage oil, handing it to the Doctor, before fetching a large towel which she spread on the bed, and a smaller one which she gave to him.

 

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and he blushed, turning away so she could slip off her pyjamas before settling onto the towel.

 

"I'm ready," she told him.

 

He turned around again and kicked off his Converse before kneeling on the bed. He poured some of the oil into his cupped hand, then warmed it before beginning to massage Martha's neck and shoulders.

 

She murmured in pleasure as the Doctor's clever fingers began to ease the knots in her muscles.

 

"Okay?" he asked.

 

"Yeah, definitely," she answered, trying not to moan.

 

Martha lay quietly for several minutes, simply savouring the sensations the Doctor was producing. "Can I ask you something?" she asked.

 

His hands paused for a moment on her shoulder blades. "What?" His tone was almost forbidding, but she had no intention of letting that put her off.

 

"When are you going to give James a break? You're in danger of driving him away, and that's not fair. He did what he thought was best to keep me alive, and it's not James' fault that there wasn't time to do things differently."

 

She lifted her head slightly to look up and back at him as he knelt over her, his palms resting on her back now.

 

He ducked his head but not before she saw a glimmer of something dark in his expression. "I know," he answered flatly. "Of course I'm glad that you're still alive, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about him making you wolfish."

 

"But that's not all, is it?" Martha asked perceptively. "There's more to this than the fact that James has given me wolf speed and strength and stamina."

 

The Doctor lifted his head again. "I don't know what you mean," he said.

 

"Yes you do," she insisted. She shifted onto her side, heedless of her nakedness, so that she could watch his face closely. "You're not jealous, are you?" She stared at him disbelievingly. "You're jealous that James saved my life."

 

"Am not," he answered, sounding more like a sulky child than a powerful Time Lord.

 

"I don't believe you," she retorted. "I think you're jealous that you didn't get to be the hero that time."

 

He scowled. "Do you want this massage or not?"

 

"Unbelievable," she muttered, then rolled back onto her stomach so the Doctor could finish his task.

 

The Time Lord forced himself to concentrate on what he was doing, and to ignore the building tightness in his trousers. He remained silent as he finished Martha's massage, then he went to wash his hands before heading back to the Control Room, leaving her to get dressed and ready for wherever they were heading next.

 

After she had dressed, Martha found James in the library, balancing on a ladder as he reached for a thick book bound in a red cover. "You're a hard man to track down," she said to him, making him look down to her.

"Oh, were you looking for me?" James asked innocently as he jumped down with the book in his hand. "Why are you here? Didn't you get your massage from the Doctor then?"

"Yes, I did. I asked him when he was going to give you a break but he didn't really give me a straight answer. Stubborn Time Lord!"

"Oh," James said as he put the book on the table. "I see."

"He's going to drive you away."

"Martha, I'm a big boy now. I can handle him," James stated. Sometimes he wondered if it would be better if he left the TARDIS, but he didn't want to vocalise that thought as he knew he would be hurt if the Doctor readily agreed to it.

"You sure are," Martha said with a lick of her lips. Her expression changed to a serious one. "He's wearing you down."

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine."

"If you're fine, then why did you nearly yell at me in the kitchen and then rush out like that?" Martha said, giving him a once over, noticing that the redhead looked tired. She pulled him into a hug, which he returned, resting his chin on the top of her head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm fine," James repeated in the hope that if he kept saying it, he would believe it.

"Just you keep telling yourself that," Martha said, not fooled for a second. "You two need to talk... and soon."

"We will." James quickly changed the subject as he let her go. "Did he say where we were going next?"

"No."

"I hope it's to a pub. I need to get drunk," James muttered, hoping she didn't hear him. "Shall we go find him so we can go on our next adventure." He pasted a smile on his face in the hope that she would be fooled by it as he held out his hand to her.

Martha wasn't fooled as she knew him too well. He was withdrawing from her again. "Yeah. Perhaps if you two get drunk enough, then maybe you'll be able to talk it out," Martha said, clasping his hand in hers. "Not that I'm encouraging you two to be drinking heavily. I've seen what excessive drinking does to the liver. That's if you don't get alcohol poisoning first."

"You've not seen me when I'm drunk, have you? Talking is the furthest thing from my mind." James grimaced. "And thanks for sharing that titbit with the class, Martha."

"What?"

James didn't answer Martha's question as they walked along the TARDIS corridors. As they got nearer the control room, James placed his finger on his lips.

They could hear the Doctor talking to himself, or to the TARDIS, James wasn't sure. "Am I being too hard on him?" the Doctor's voice drifted down the corridor. "Yeah, I am. Am I going to tell them that? No." He sighed. "Every time he asks to go home, I wonder if he's going to add that he doesn't want to come back. What am I going to do now?" A long pause. "Where shall I take them next?"

James looked at Martha and decided he was going to pretend he hadn't heard what the Doctor had said. "Our fearless leader awaits."

"Aren't you going to talk to him?" Martha asked softly.

"About..?"

"You know."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because if he wants to talk, he will."

"You can't go in there and pretend nothing is wrong."

"Yes, I can. I'm good at that. Come on," James said with a smirk. "The Doctor is waiting."

 

* * * * * *

 

A few days passed, and the level of tension between the two men remained much the same since they were both too stubborn to talk, despite Martha's best efforts. She had begun to think that she needed to enlist some help from Jack and stage an intervention, since nothing else appeared to be working.

 

Now, though, they were locked up in a small cell that wasn't really big enough for three people, particularly when one of the three liked to pace while trying to work out problems, and another of the three was trying to keep himself from wolfing out. Martha was trying to stay out of the way of both men, sitting huddled into the corner of the uncomfortable sleeping bench with her arms wrapped around her bent knees. She knew full well that if James couldn't transform tonight, then he'd feel far worse the next time that he did, and she really hoped the Doctor's pacing and mutterings would lead to a solution to their predicament soon.

 

Then she had a mad idea that made her squeak involuntarily with excitement, and both men turned a questioning gaze her way.

 

"What's wrong, Martha?" asked the Doctor solicitously.

 

"I know how we can get out of here," she said. "James should change, then we yell for help, and when the guard comes, James can scare him into backing off so we can escape." She looked from the Doctor's growing grin to James' more concerned expression.

 

"What do you think?" she asked him.

 

"Yeah okay. But I think I should make out I'm attacking you; if you scream and I howl, it'll seem more authentic, and he'll come running in."

 

"All right." Martha nodded agreement, then looked over at the Doctor.

 

"Brilliant plan, Dr Jones," he said, chuckling a little. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, then sat down beside her on the bed as James stripped off his clothes. The Time Lord gathered them up and folded them into his pocket, knowing it would look odd to the guard if they were seen carrying James' clothes out of the cell.

 

The redhead closed his eyes, then began to transform into a large, redfurred wolf. When the transformation was complete he opened his eyes and stared at Martha; she slipped down off the bed and sprawled onto the floor at his feet.

 

"Ready?" asked the Doctor from his spot beside the door.

 

She agreed, and James uttered a low growl, then howled, startling Martha. She screamed, mentally apologising to her friends for the racket. The Time Lord pounded on the door and yelled, as James began worrying at Martha's clothing.

 

Moments later, the cell door was flung open, and James turned on the guard with a very genuine sounding growl, and she wondered if that was his territorial instincts kicking in, or just an attempt to intimidate. Not that it mattered as the guard gave a yell of fear and tripped over his own feet as he tried to back away from the large wolf that was advancing on him. He fell backwards into the corridor, hitting his head as he went down.

 

Martha scrambled up from the floor, straightening her clothes, and hurried to check that the guard was only unconscious.

 

"Martha, come on," the Time Lord urged.

 

The three of them rushed down the corridor, the Doctor leading the way, his sonic screwdriver held high in his hand as he tried to establish the exact location of the TARDIS. They knew the ship had been brought into the bailey of the castle when they were captured, but none of them knew exactly where the TARDIS had been left.

 

"This way," the Doctor said, his voice low, as he turned right down a steep and winding staircase, the blue glow of the sonic the only light they had until he managed to fish a torch from his pocket and turn that on.

 

James was padding down the stairs behind Martha, his ears cocked for any sound of pursuit, and when she heard him utter a low growl, she immediately hissed at the Time Lord.

 

"Doctor! Pursuers."

 

He stopped as James turned and began to move back up the stairs. "James!" he called, his voice low. "Let's keep moving towards the TARDIS. We'll only take them on if they catch us up."

 

Martha dropped a hand down onto James' back, wondering if he would disobey the Doctor. "Please, James," she said quietly. "Let's just get out of here."

 

He lifted his head and looked at her, eyes glittering in the subdued lighting, then turned again, and she heaved a sigh of relief.

 

"Thanks."

 

They began to hurry, Martha and the Doctor each keeping a hand on the wall beside them as the staircase began to spiral more tightly down into the dungeon.

 

Thankfully there were no guards down in the dungeon, nor any prisoners at present. In fact, it looked as if it was being used as a storage area, which might, Martha thought, explain the cells upstairs.

 

The TARDIS was in the middle of the room, and the Doctor rushed over, already pulling his key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and ushered his companions inside, then hurried to the console to get the ship away.

 

Martha crossed to the seat and flopped down onto it, then she leant forward and placed a hand on James' head when he rested it on her knee.

 

"Thanks for the rescue," she said softly.

 

"Yes, thank you, James," the Doctor added.

 

James lifted his head and gave the Doctor a look which plainly read 'whatever' before he rested his head back on Martha's knee. Being in wolf form meant that he couldn't effectively communicate what he was thinking at that moment in time. Well, not verbally, of course.

The Doctor felt his hearts sink. He had been sure that if he thanked James for the rescue then James would be a little more friendly towards him as if that would be enough to erase the past few days from the redhead's mind.

"That's it?" Martha asked incredulously as she looked up from stroking James' head. She was almost at breaking point with those two and she wanted them to sort it out before James asked the Doctor to take him home. "Doctor, he helped us get out of there."

"I know and I said thanks. What more could he want?" the Doctor asked.

"How about you giving him a break?" Martha stated, looking down at James and gently running her fingers through the thick red fur on his head.

James growled suddenly, startling both Martha and the Doctor, because he didn't want them talking about him as if he couldn't understand what they were saying and he wanted to be able to speak for himself.

"I forgot that he can understand us as a wolf," the Doctor commented. "I think he wants to speak for himself."

"You forget a lot of things," Martha muttered. She suddenly stifled a yawn.

"We'll discuss this in the morning," the Doctor promised. "Get some rest."

"Okay," Martha said, yawning again.

James also yawned, exposing sharp white fangs, before he licked his nose with a pink tongue.

"We'll hit the sack," Martha said as she noticed James.

James gave a quiet growl, almost like he was saying 'good night' to the Doctor and padded into the corridor, stopping in the entrance as if he was waiting for Martha to join him.

"What's the sack ever done to you?" the Doctor asked in a slight teasing tone. "Sleep well, you two."

* * * * * *

The next day, James wandered into the kitchen, looking for coffee. The redhead wrapped a dark green dressing gown around him and winced at the sudden movement in his shoulders. "I'm getting old," he muttered as he helped himself to coffee.

"Well, if you're getting old, I must be ancient," the Doctor said from his position at the kitchen table. The Time Lord noticed how stiffly the redhead was moving. "You all right there?"

"Just a few aches," James answered, in the hopes that the Doctor wouldn't notice how sore he was. "Just another Full Moon."

"James..."

"I'm fine," James growled as he slumped down in the chair opposite the Doctor.

"No, you're not. I can see you are hurting."

James opened his mouth to protest then shut it again. "You're right. I'm sore. I hurt," he admitted. 'And not just physically,' he added silently.

"How about after your coffee, I give you a massage?" the Doctor asked, smiling as Martha walked in. "Hello Martha."

"Hi," James said quietly, sipping his coffee.

"Hello you two," Martha said, as she made her way to the coffee pot. "So what's going on?"

"I just asked if he'd let me give him a massage because he's a bit sore."

"Why?"

"It's nothing, just a normal full moon," James answered, rubbing his neck. "I think I will take you up on that massage offer, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled. "Good."

Martha wondered if that meant that they had made up and crossed her fingers that it meant that the tenseness that had filled the TARDIS had dissipated. If not, then she might have to bang their heads together. Hopefully this massage would be just what they need to talk about what was bothering them. "You two have the massage and I'll do some stuff," she commented. "I think you two need your privacy."

* * * * * *

After James had had some breakfast, he and the Doctor headed towards the Doctor's bedroom and the Doctor picked up a bottle of massage oil that smelt of rosemary. "I picked some of this up because both you and Martha seem to like this smell and it's good for fatigue." He went into the other room and picked up a large towel, which he laid on the bed, and a smaller one that he placed on the chair.

"Yeah, and if I want to smell like a leg of lamb," James commented wryly.

"Take your robe off and lie on the towel," the Doctor ordered, watching as James slid his robe off his shoulders. He was glad that James seemed to be talking to him.

"You need a massage table," James commented as he lay on the bed with a loud groan. He pillowed his head on his arms.

"Don't worry about that," the Doctor said, draping the smaller towel over James' bottom half. "You okay?" he asked as he kicked off his Converse before he crawled up the bed to kneel at the redhead's side.

"Fine," James answered tightly.

The Doctor warmed the oil in his hand before massaging James' neck and shoulders. He could feel how tense the younger man was under his nimble fingers. "Relax," he said softly as he worked on a particularly knotted muscle.

"How can I?" James asked softly.

"Think of relaxing things," the Doctor replied, as the muscle finally yielded under his ministrations and he heard a growl of pleasure coming from the redhead. "You're so tightly wound, I expect you to break at any minute."

"And you wonder why?" James said, feeling a bit more relaxed. He felt the Doctor's hands hesitate on his back. "You haven't been giving me a break the last few days."

"I know."

"Why?"

"It's... complicated."

"Well, explain it to me."

"You wouldn't..."

"Don't tell me I wouldn't understand. I'm not stupid."

"I wasn't going to," the Doctor stated, his hands moving again over the redhead's back. "I guess I was a bit hard on you."

"A bit?!"

The Doctor shifted positions so he was straddling James' back and deeply massaged the redhead's upper back. He could feel the redhead relax under his hands and if that moan from James was anything to go by, he was enjoying it. He let his hands roam down the younger man's sides and smiled at the shiver that ran through James' body. "Maybe a bit more than a bit," he agreed. "You all right there?"

"Mm, much better," James mumbled, feeling very relaxed. "Are you going to let up on me or not?"

"What?"

"I can easily ask to go home, you know," James said, instantly regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth, but it was too late to take them back.

"No!" the Doctor exclaimed, sounding hurt, as he moved his hands to James' shoulders. "I don't want you to leave. I don't want either you or Martha to leave me."

"Really?" James asked, unable to shift to look at the Doctor because of the way the Time Lord was straddling his back. "That's not the impression I got."

"I... Do you want to leave?"

James sighed, suddenly hyper aware of the Doctor's proximity on his back. "I don't know."

"Does Martha?"

"You'll have to ask her. I feel so sorry for her being caught in the crossfire between us. It hurts her, Doctor, to see us fighting."

"Well, if you hadn't had infected her..."

"She would've died. Are we back to that again, Doctor? Come to kick me again? I don't want to open old wounds," James said in a 'that's final' tone of voice.

"You've been grumpy these last few days."

"Hello! Werewolf here!" James said sarcastically.

"Part werewolf actually," the Doctor corrected, as if James wasn't aware of that fact.

"Whatever! What's your excuse?"

Before the Doctor could answer there was a quick knock on the door, then Martha came in. "I could hear your raised voices from outside," she observed, a disappointed expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," James said quickly, immediately feeling bad.

"Me too," the Time Lord added.

"I'm beginning to think I should go home, if you two are going to keep arguing over me."

"NO!" exclaimed the Doctor loudly, looking shocked.

"Are you going to give James a break if I stay?" Martha challenged, folding her arms across her chest. "Because I'm sick of the tension aboard this ship, and I'm sick of you two arguing about me as if I'm not even here."

The Doctor looked ashamed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

She looked at him, then glanced at James, before looking back at the Time Lord. "I'm not the only one you should be apologising to," she reminded him. "What's done is done, and we all just have to live with it. If you can't cope with my infection, I'll go back home."

"Please don't, Martha," he said urgently. He grabbed up the towel resting on James' lower half to wipe his hands clean of the oil, then clambered off the bed and hurried over to her. He clasped her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"I need my Doctor," he told her, his voice soft.

"Are you going to give James a break then?" she asked.

He hung his head, then nodded imperceptibly. Martha put a finger to his chin and lifted his face so she could look into his eyes.

"Then you had better apologise," she said quietly. "And properly."

He raised his eyebrows when she emphasised the final word, and she glanced over at James, lying naked on the bed, watching them both.

"Properly," she said, and turned him around to face the redhead.

"Properly, I can do that," the Doctor repeated, looking down at James. "I'm sorry," he said after a long pause. "I shouldn't have treated you like that."

"Damn right, you shouldn't have," James retorted, swinging his feet over the side so he was now sitting up, "but if you EVER treat me like that again, I won't be as forgiving."

"I know," the Doctor said quietly, even though his hearts soared at the possibility that the redhead had forgiven him, even though he hadn't said so in so many words. "Please don't leave me," he said, moving to stand in between James' bare legs.

James rolled his eyes, noticing that Martha had sat down in one of the chairs next to the Doctor's bed before he looked up at the Doctor. "Silly Time Lord. If we left you, who knows what trouble you would get into."

"Probably more than I do now," the Doctor agreed.

"Why is it everytime we make up, I'm always naked?" James asked, as he grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulled him down into a kneeling position in front of him. "That's better. I was getting a crick in my neck."

"You can't run away?"

"I'm not the one running away," James muttered, looking the Doctor straight in the eyes.

Martha watched the interaction between the two men with bated breath. She licked her lips in anticipation, wondering who will make the first move. She was glad that the tension had somewhat broken, leaving tension of another kind between the two and she wondered when they'd be breaking that.

"I've got to do this properly," the Doctor mumbled, before he leant forward and captured the redhead's lips with his own. He smiled as James kissed him back and tangled his fingers in James' red hair. He stood up, pushed James back on the bed and straddled his hips. The Doctor broke the kiss and looked down at the younger man. "I was too hard on you."

James bit down a whimper as the Time Lord's cloth clad body rubbed against his erection. "Doctor!" he gasped, growling when he saw the knowing look in the Doctor's eyes.

"Blimey, you're eager," the Doctor commented with a slight smirk on his face as he bent down to kiss the redhead again. He bit down a moan when James gently sucked on his lower lip and could feel himself begin to harden.

"Someone is overdressed," James said against the Doctor's lips. He could smell the Doctor's arousal and inwardly grinned.

The Doctor sat up and pulled off his top, noticing the way James licked his lips as he looked him over. He bent down again, this time, to lick the side of James' neck, savouring the taste of the redhead's skin and enjoying the way James shivered against him.

James tilted his head back and to the side to look at Martha, to make sure she was all right and grinned as he noticed the look on her face. 'Oh yeah,' he thought, 'there's someone who is definitely enjoying the show.'

The Doctor took advantage of James' tilted head to lick a path from his collarbone to his jaw, before capturing the redhead's lips in a passionate kiss which James returned eagerly.

James let out a soft growl as the Doctor shifted his body and the friction of the Time Lord's trousers rubbed against his erection again. "You're still overdressed," he growled, tugging at the Doctor's trousers.

The Doctor stood up, pulled his trousers down and off and then straddled James' thighs. "Better?" he asked in a low seductive voice.

"A bit," James answered, shivering in pleasure at the Doctor's slightly cooler skin against his. "You know what would be much better?" he asked, his voice dropping to a deep seductive purr. "You inside me," he added, reaching up and pulling the Doctor into a kiss.

The Doctor kissed him back, squeaking in surprise and pleasure when James' hands entangled in his hair. "Mm," he muttered, moving his free hand down between them as he manoeuvred his body so he was lying on top of James. "I want to hear you beg."

James tugged gently on the Doctor's hair, smirking at the whimper that had escaped the Doctor's throat. He moaned when the Doctor's fingers closed around his erection and gently stroked him. "Doctor..," he growled, sliding his hand down the Doctor's back, "it's not... ohh... nice... to...mmm...tease."

The Doctor grinned. "Spread those legs," he ordered, pleased when James obeyed him. He lifted his hand off James' cock and moved it to his entrance, gently teasing him.

James moaned and arched his body off the mattress. "Doctor!" he whimpered. "Please!" He moved his hand out of the Doctor's hair to grasp the Time Lord's erection and trailed his fingers over it, enjoying the way the Doctor bucked in his hand.

'There really is no more excuse to delay,' the Doctor thought with a sigh, bucking again as James used his fingernail to gently circle the head of his cock. "James, move...your hand," he ordered, growling as James gave his cock one last stroke before moving his hand to the Doctor's back. 'He'll be the death of me,' he added silently as he positioned himself at the red head's entrance and pushed his way in slowly.

James let out a moan and bucked his hips,silently urging the Doctor to hurry up. He growled as the Doctor began thrusting in and out of him exasperatingly slowly. "Faster," he snarled, giving the Doctor a sharp slap on the behind, making the Time Lord yelp and speed up. "Harder."

Martha watched the two men and bit back a moan, not wanting to speak in case it broke the spell. 'God, that is even hotter than I imagined,' she thought as she tilted her head to get a better view of their joined bodies. 'I hope they'll let me join in afterwards.'

"Touch yourself," the Doctor ordered James as he moved faster in and out of James, making sure to hit his prostate with every forward thrust. He realised that he had missed the closeness between the redhead and him. He hoped that they would never argue again as he had missed James. He knew the younger man had been spending his nights with Martha, and he wondered how Martha would taste as the redhead was thrusting into her from behind. He made a mental note to suggest it to James and Martha.

James obeyed the Doctor, stroking himself, matching the speed to the Doctor's thrusts, body shivering in pleasure as the Doctor hit the right spot every time. Everytime he thought the Doctor was going to bring him to orgasm, the Doctor slowed down, deliberately making it last and driving him crazy. "Harder." His other hand grasped the Doctor's shoulder painfully, urging the Time Lord on. "Please...Doctor! Ohhhh."

The Doctor could feel himself aproaching the edge, and he was determined to drag the redhead along for the ride. He bent his head and licked a path down on the younger man's shoulder, smiling at the low growl that had escaped James' throat. He felt the redhead's muscles contract around his cock and knew that he was close.

James let out a very loud growl, arched his body and bit down on the Doctor's arm as he fell over the edge, coming over the Doctor's chest and stomach.

As if that was a trigger, the Doctor followed him, orgasming inside the redhead with a yell and he lay on top of James as he caught his breath. Suddenly remembering Martha was in the room with them, he turned his head and looked at her. "So," he asked, sounding back to his normal self, "was that a proper enough apology for you?"

Martha nodded, watching in fascination as James lifted his head and licked around the bite mark on the Doctor's arm. "It was... And hot too."

James snorted and lifted his head. "Can't have been that hot," he muttered, even though he could smell her arousal, and knew that he and the Doctor were responsible for it. "She hasn't even taken any of her clothes off yet."

"I didn't want to miss a single moment of the action," Martha explained, the heated look that James sent her making her feel even hotter.

"Maybe Martha wants a piece of the action too," James suggested, nudging the Doctor off him. "We do need to apologise for our actions the past few days."

"Maybe," the Doctor agreed, giving Martha a once over. "I'll just go and clean up first," he added, standing up and walking into his bathroom.

James grinned at Martha and patted the bed beside him. "Come and join me," he purred, throwing her a seductive smile.

Martha moved to sit down next him. How could she resist such a sexy smile, especially since it was aimed in her direction.

James leaned in towards her for a kiss, smiling as she returned the kiss and gently lay her back on the bed.

The Doctor paused in the doorframe and took in the sight of his two companions kissing on the bed. "Typical. I leave you two alone for a few minutes and you couldn't even wait until I'm back in the room until you start kissing."

"Well, get over here then," James ordered, crooking a finger in the the Doctor's direction. "Unless you just like to watch." He pressed a kiss to Martha's neck and smiled as she moaned and brought a hand up to entangle in his hair.

The Doctor moved forward into the room and kneeled down beside the bed at Martha's head. He pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, smirking as she returned it. He pulled back and moaned when she grabbed his hand. She brought his hand up to her mouth and licked at his fingers, nipping at the tips with her teeth. He whimpered as she halted in mid bite and dropped his hand.

James caught the Doctor's eye and grinned. "Someone's overdressed," he observed. "Doctor, shall we make it a little more even?"

Martha caught the look between the two men and shivered in anticipation. When both of them had hesitated too long for her, she grabbed James by the hair and pulled him nearer to her. "Come on," she moaned impatiently.

James let out a loud growl and he bent his head and bit down on Martha's neck, being careful to not to draw blood, smiling at the moan that escaped from her throat.

The Doctor smiled as he watched his companions together and he slowly began to unbutton Martha's top, long fingers stroking the skin as it was slowly being revealed to his eyes.

"Martha," James said in a deep growl against her skin, as he kissed his way down her body. He pulled down Martha's trousers and kissed her stomach before sitting back up and watching as the Doctor gently stroked her skin.

Soon Martha was naked and James and the Doctor began teasing her, taking turns in sliding their fingers inside of her. "Doctor! James!" she moaned, squirming, "stop teasing me."

"How are we going to work this?" the Doctor asked, bringing his hand up to his mouth to lick it. "Mm."

"That is the sexiest thing ever," James commented, sliding his hand down the Doctor's chest. "Um, Martha in the middle?"

"Sounds good to me," the Doctor agreed, moaning as James gently stroked his cock. "Martha, you taste really good."

"I don't care, just do something," Martha said, feeling even more aroused by the sight of the Doctor licking his fingers. She jumped as she felt James grab her hand and guide it to the Doctor's cock.

"James, have a taste," the Doctor said, sticking a finger in James' mouth. He moaned loudly as Martha gently stroked his cock and bucked his hips into her hand. "Martha!"

James' tongue darted out and licked the Doctor's finger, tasting the mixture of Martha and the Doctor. His hands wandered over Martha's body and grinned as she squirmed under his ministrations. "Martha," he said seriously around the Doctor's finger, "let's move over so the Doctor can get off his knees."

Martha reached out to the Doctor with her free hand and indicated he should get up onto the bed, punctuating her order with a gentle tug on his cock.

The Doctor clambered to his feet and climbed onto the bed next to Martha, pulling his finger out of James' mouth with a pop. "You know what we're missing?" he suddenly exclaimed. "The lubrication!"

James rolled his eyes and reached under the bed, sitting up with a bottle of lube in his hand. "You were saying?" he asked, handing it to the Doctor.

"You keep the lube under the bed?" Martha questioned, jumping as she heard the Doctor squirt out a generous amount of lube onto his fingers. She moaned as she felt a finger at her entrance, stroking around the hole before slowly entering her, stretching her gently. "Doctor!" she gasped, squirming at the new sensations flowing through her body. Her gasps intensified as James's fingers dipped inside her other entrance. The sensation of being filled in both holes made her feel ready to explode with pleasure. "Oh God!" she whimpered as they withdrew their fingers from her, leaving her feeling slightly empty. Not for long though, if she had her way and they would stop teasing her.

"Your choice, Martha," James said quietly, stroking her skin. "on who you want to go where."

Martha didn't answer James, she just growled, pinned him to the bed and straddled his hips. "Not... nice to tease," she said, bending her head to bite at his neck.

"You sure you want this?" the Doctor said as he moved to stand behind her.

"Bit late for that," James commented, letting out a loud groan as Martha lowered herself onto his erection.

"Yes! Now hurry up!" Martha demanded, moaning as the Doctor slowly entered her from behind, stopping occasionally to allow her to get used to the sensation of being filled in both holes. "Oooooh," she whimpered as the Doctor thrust in and out of her slowly, pushing her further down on James' erection. A finger on her clit, made her tremble in pleasure as it slowly rubbed her. The heat of it told her it was James' finger stroking her.

James moved his hips to match the Doctor's thrusts and turned his head to one side, exposing his neck to Martha and growled as she bit down. "Martha!" His hand came up and grasped the Doctor's bottom, digging his nails into the skin.

The Doctor gasped at the sudden pain and, leaning over Martha, captured James' lips in a passionate kiss, speeding up his thrusts, grinning at the moans that came from his two companions' throats. He moved his mouth to the skin on Martha's back. "Martha! James!" he gasped against Martha's back, between thrusts.

"Harder!" Martha demanded, biting down harder on James' neck and growling as they obeyed her. She moaned as she felt two mouths on her skin, licking and biting at the skin. "Oh God!" She could feel herself getting closer to the edge.

"Let it go," the Doctor whispered against her ear. "For... me, for... oh Martha... James. We mmm..."

"Martha," James growled, biting down on her neck. "For... us."

Martha let out a loud yell as she orgasmed, clenching her muscles around James' cock, causing him to fall over the edge too, spilling himself inside her with a animalistic snarl. She fell on top of James and breathed heavily in his ear, riding out the shockwaves that rippled through her body.

The Doctor gasped as Martha tightened around him as well, and he orgasmed also, coming inside her as well, and he flopped on top of Martha and James, panting heavily.

"Oh God!" Martha panted as she tried to get her voice back.

James laughed suddenly. "I've just remembered," he said, sounding slightly short of breath. "We never did do that challenge thing..."


End file.
